Maybe Merlin isn't So Useless After All
by Nobodysaiditwouldbethishard
Summary: A series of BAMF!Merlin oneshots! Be it with daggers, or swords, or magic, or healing, or anything at all, Merlin is awesome, and I'm here to prove this. No Helpless!Merlin here! A;though some angst! and whump! Might be :) Please leave requests! (Rated T for possible gore) {Chapter Three: Merlin; The physician, takes over. Time for some surgery.}
1. Hand to Hand

**New Bamf! series ( Decided not to take down the old one, so people who wanted to re-read could, as per request of a guest!) 'Nuff said.**

It had been a long, _long_ day.

He had done all the laundry, polished Arthur's chainmail, mucked out the stables, shined what looked to be an army's worth of boots, cleaned the chambers, cleaned the great hall, drawn a bath for King Dollophead, done rounds for Gaius, even cleaned out the leech tank!

Not to mention how early he had to get up, so as to get Gaius some herbs. Because _god forbid_ you buy herbs at the market! And, he had gotten to bed late the other night, mending the prat's chainmail; couldn't he just _not_ break it?

Yes, it had been a _very_ long day. Merlin was ready to go back to Gaius', and rest for an hour or so, before he had to serve Arthur at the banquet later tonight. Ah, an hour to himself. One good thing to look forward t-

"MERLIN! Come on! We're going to be late for practice! And you _are_ my sparring partner!"

Merlin groaned. Arthur smirked. Merlin growled.

"Clotpole"

"I heard that"

"Doesn't make it false!"

 **LINEBREKITYBREAKBREAK**

The Round table Knights were gathered on the training field, along with Merlin, looking tired, bored and haphazard.

"Now, men, today, sparring practice is going to be a little different. I have noticed that though in sword fighting you are all adequate-"

Gwaine snorted "adequate enough to beat him 2 out of 10 times"

Arthur glared. "-as you are with most weapons, we have not done much work on hand to hand combat. So, that is what we will be doing today. All practice"

Groans rang through the field. Merlin, however, gave a small smirk, unnoticed by his comrades.

"Okay, pair up. Oh, and, shirts off"

Arthur went with Gwaine, immediately stripping of his freshly cleaned red shirt, tossing it. Straight. Into. The. Mud.

Merlin growled.

Lancelot walked over to him, nodding hello.

"Care to spar?"

"Sure" Merlin ground out, teeth still clenched at the thought of _more_ work.

Lancelot pulled off his own shirt, and put it on the bench to their left.

Merlin did the same.

"Merlin… what's up with the bandage?"

There was, indeed, a large strip of linen covering most of Merlin's back and torso, wounding over his shoulder.

"Hmmm? Oh, right. I dislocated my shoulder the other day. It's fine now, but Gaius didn't have time to look it over, so he told me to wrap it in case it was loose."

"Well, I can't spar with you, then! You're injured!"

Merlin still distracted by Arthur and his dirty shirt, shook himself out of his stupor and said "Nah, I'm good. But, you now, Arthur can be a right prat sometimes! Anyway… let's do this"

They both got into position, watching as Gwaine and Arthur did the same. Elyan and Percival also struck up position.

"Begin!"

Lancelot swung in with a right hook, but Merlin, who had been stewing in anger over the clotpole's behaviour, blocked him. Grabbing his wrist, he pulled Lancelot in so they were shoulder to uninjured shoulder, and then flipped him over said shoulder. While Lancelot was down, Merlin moved his foot on to his chest, right over his ribcage. Merlin smiled down at him, and then offered a hand, taking his foot off the other man at the same time.

"Uhhhh…." Lancelot said, at a loss for words.

Merlin smiled once again, and they went and sat down at one of the side benches. They watched as the others fought. Elyan and Percival's was over soon after, with the winner being, as expected, Percival.

They joined Lancelot and Merlin at the bench, sitting down, tired after their little fight. Merlin grimaced as his shoulder twinged, rubbing at it. Elyan gave him a sympathetic look. "I hope Lance didn't hurt you too bad." Just as Merlin was about to retort with an indignant response surmising of "he didn't", Arthur and Gwaine walked up, Arthur slightly annoyed, having lost to Gwaine, totally unfairly, in his opinion. He brightened at the look of Merlin, rubbing his shoulder, and quickly made his assumptions.

"So, how quickly did Lancelot beat you, _Mer_ lin?"

Merlin, once again, was about to retort when Lancelot said, lightly

"Actually, sire, Merlin beat me. Quicker, in fact, than Percival here beat Elyan."

Arthur stared; slack jawed, at Lancelot, disbelief burning bright in his eyes. His gaze quickly wandered to Merlin, and noticed the bandage.

"Then what's the bandage for"

"I dislocated my shoulder the other day, actually." Merlin replied, feeling quite happy.

"So, not only did Merlin beat you, Lancelot, but he beat you while injured? No. Impossible"

"Well, Sire, as you can see, it really is quite possible." Lancelot replied, a bit annoyed at Arthur's inability to see Merlin's worth.

"Well, then. He wouldn't mind proving it again, then?" Arthur smirked, certain he would trip Merlin up in his own lie. Why Lancelot was involved, though-

"No problem." Responded Merlin, standing up and rolling his shoulders. "Elyan, care to join me?'

"Umm… alright?"

Elyan got up, walking towards Merlin slowly, confidence growing with every step. Pity was there too; he didn't want Merlin to be humiliated, or hurt.

"Ready?" Said Lancelot.

"Ready" responded Elyan. Merlin merely nodded.

"Begin!"

Both Merlin and Elyan crouched down, ready to spar.

Once again, Merlin's opponent made the first move. However, Elyan, unlike Lancelot, went in head first, grasping Merlin's forearms. Merlin responded by grabbing Elyan's arms, and, using the weight Elyan had used to rush him, twisted his whole body over his own torso, using his leg to push Elyan along. Before Elyan knew what had happened, he was on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Merlin, once again, stepped back, and offered his hand. He pulled Elyan up, and they looked to the watching group. Arthur looked shocked, and, though Percival's face remained stoic, his eyes showed his surprise. Lancelot and Gwaine both seemed amused, though Gwaine also looked suitably impressed.

"Once more" Arthur said, still in disbelief. Merlin sighed. "Whatever."

This time, Percival stood up, saying "I'd like to try."

Merlin, to his credit, did not appear sacred, but resolved not to underestimate this much bigger opponent.

"Ready?" Two nods.

"Begin!"

This time, Merlin attacked first, going in with quick, small, but powerful jabs to pressure points, and then darted back just as quickly. Percival managed to defend most of them, but it was clearly having an effect on him. Then, when Merlin was retreating, Percival's elbow caught him in his bad shoulder. He stumbled back, and, Percival, seeing his chance, lunged forward. Unfortunately for him, Merlin had already recovered. As Percival rushed, Merlin sidestepped, and hooked his foot against Percival's. Percival was flung down, and Merlin stepped forward, pushing his legs in. The figth had lasted no longer than 2 minutes.

"Woah."

Even Lancelot was shocked, and they were all impressed.

"Practice is over." Arthur declared, leaving the field, looking disgruntled. "Oh, and Merlin; you're relieved of your duties." Arthur said, begrudgingly. His manservant _was_ injured, after all.

Merlin smirked.

 **Review if you'd like me to do a continuation where Merlin fights Gwaine! Also, I'd love some requests!**


	2. Hand to Hand: Part 2

**Pretty sure I've fixed it. I'm so** _ **so**_ **sorry. That was absolutely horrifying. Please don't leave!**

 **Continuation: Continued! Hopefully Successfully?**

Merlin woke up with a grin on his face. He had had a full night's worth of sleep, leaving him feeling refreshed. He had also beaten the knight's yesterday. Dear Lord, he had beaten Percival! Yes, Merlin certainly was feeling optimistic. That is, for three seconds.

"Merlin!"

Arthur barged into Merlin's small room, knocking open the door. Merlin stared at him in annoyance. He had slept with his bandages on, thankfully. Wouldn't want Arthur to see his torso.

"What, Prat. I'm not late."

"Practice. Now. Hand to hand, again."

Merlin sighed, but was rather excited. This was one thing he quite enjoyed. Maybe he couldn't use a sword, but he was happy with his hands. Yes, Merlin was beginning to get quite excited.

"Alright, give me a minute."

Merlin quickly changed into his shirt and trousers, and then walked out the door after Arthur. He grabbed an apple on the way out. After almost tripping a few times. He might have been graceful when fighting, but he's still as clumsy as ever.

 **{RAVE BREAK}**

Merlin walked onto the training grounds, and got in line with the rest of the knights. It was, once again, only the Round Table Knights, though this time Gwen stands to the side. Merlin wanders off towards her as Arthur has the knights do laps. He does enough running around just getting around the castle.

"Hello, Gwen."

"Hey, Merlin. Excited about today?"

"Just a little bit, yeah." Merlin smiles at Gwen. Gwen knew about his fighting skills, as she had experienced them almost firsthand.

 _Gwen was walking through the streets, heading home after a long day at the castle. It was night by now, but Guinevere didn't notice, so wrapped up in the grief of her father's death. She had spent the entire day crying in Morgana's arms. As she rounded a corner, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by a large set of hands._

" _He-ey, purty lady." The drunkard's breath stank from where it wafted near her ear. Gwen pulled away, desperately trying to escape his grasp._

" _Where you goin' d-darlin'?" His speech was slurred, but his grip was firm. Gwen managed to jab her elbow into his side, but this only served to make him angrier, as he spun her around and slammed her into the wall. She struggled in his grip, and managed to knee him in the thigh, but she was weak from exhaustion, and the man was more than twice her height._

 _He leant in close wrapping his meaty hand around her neck, and Gwen closed her eyes, terrified of what would happen next._

 _Suddenly, though, the weight was off of her, and Gwen breathed in desperately._

 _She looked to the side, and saw Merlin give the Man a quick left hook, knocking the drunken slug unconscious. He got up off the man's body, and quickly made his way towards her. Merlin engulfed Gwen in a hug, as she collapsed in his arms. They walked home together._

 _Gwen knew not to underestimate Merlin._

"So, how quickly do you think you're going to beat them, Merlin?" Gwen smiled up at her much taller friend.

"Arthur shouldn't take that long. He's too fat to be a problem an-"

"OI!" Gwen said, as she elbowed him "that's my husband!"

"Oh, right, of course, Your Royal Highness, Queen Guinevere of Camelot. I suppose, then, that these 'manly' matters are of no interest to one as delicate as yourself."

Gwen snorted. "Oh, please, I want to see Arthur get his pride handed to him on a platter just as much as you do."

The friends shared a smile.

"Anyway, Gwaine might be a bit more of a challenge. He learnt a lot from his travels. I wouldn't be ashamed to lose to someone as skilled as he is, however hungover."

" _Mer-_ lin."

"Ah, excuse me, my lady, but duty calls!" Merlin walked off, but Gwen stopped him, and tied her handkerchief on his arm.

"My token to you. Go whoop my husband good, Merlin!"

Merlin smiled even bigger, and stalked over to where the knights stood, waiting.

"Alright, so, as we all saw yesterday, your hand-to-hand combat is horrible. _Merlin_ beat you, that's how weak you were. I was, of course, more prepared, but Gwaine beat me, so it will be up to him t teach you fighting techniques."

Merlin looked at him, annoyance showing clearly on his face. The rest of the knights looked at him incredulously. Gwaine went so far as to stick his tongue out at the king's turned back. Though Gwaine was sure he could beat him, Merlin _had_ beaten Lancelot, Elyan, hell, even Percival. He thought this was quite unfair, and decided to say something.

Merlin beat him to it.

"Are you kidding me? Are _you_ really implying that it's the fact that the _knights_ were too weak that led me to beat them? That I couldn't beat you, maybe even Gwaine, in a heartbeat? I think it's just your wounded pride talking, honestly."

Arthur turned towards Merlin slowly. A light grin stretched across his features. He was totally prepared for Merlin to make a fool of himself. "Alright then, Merlin; we'll fight. One on One, you and me. If I win, you go to the stocks for the week, an hour before sunrise until an hour after. And, if you _somehow_ defeat me, you can teach the rest of us. Fair?"

Merlin grinned in anticipation. This should be fun. "Alright, Pratness."

The two stripped off their shirts, Merlin still wearing his bandages, although his shoulder didn't hurt much anymore. Arthur and Merlin stepped into the loose ring formed by the knights watching them. Lancelot looked smug, confident in Merlin's abilities, Elyan looked excited, and Percival looked quite happy, ready for Merlin to prove he could fight well. Gwaine looked on with interest. He assumed it would be a fairly even match, but was secretly rooting for Merlin.

"Begin!" called Gwen, from where she had joined into the small circle.

Arthur made the first move, as Merlin had anticipated. He rushed at Merlin, aiming to grapple. Merlin danced out of the way. They continued like this until Merlin met Arthur's grapple head on. They stayed locked in that position, gripping each other's forearms, for a few seconds, Arthur trying to trip Merlin up, but Merlin, having a slight height advantage, leaned his lower body away. Suddenly, though, Merlin switched positions, putting his foot inside Arthur's two, leaning away. He then pivoted, using the force Arthur had been using to push against him, and twisted so he was in a sort of lunge position, flipping Arthur up and over his shoulder. He kept his grip on Arthur's upper arm, and used his other hand to keep the King's shoulder down. After a few seconds of hard breathing, Merlin let go, taking a step back, and held out his hand to the fallen king. He smiled when Arthur refused it, standing up on his own.

They stood, next to each other, facing the knights. Merlin had a large, proud grin on his face, though not overly smug. Arthur, however, looked quite annoyed, and definitely had a hurt ego. Eventually, though, Arthur turned to Merlin and said, albeit grudgingly "You're better than I thought." He smiled, almost painfully, but it grew into a real one when Merlin clasped on the shoulder and said "I think you've got someone waiting over there to 'tend to your wounds'." They shared a smile, and Merlin watched Arthur walk off towards Gwen, who flashed him a smile before tending her husband.

Merlin turned towards the knights, who all looked proud of him. Gwaine looked rather pensive, though, making for an interesting sight, as Gwaine rarely seemed to think before his actions, if at all.

"Something troubling you, Gwaine?"

"I'm just wondering, mate… where did you learn to fight like that? Because I've seen, and done, my fair share of fighting, but I've never seen anyone fight like you."

Merlin shrugged, cheeks coloring slightly in embarrassment. "Well, when I was younger, we had a lot of bandit raids, and my mother wanted me to learn how to protect myself. But we didn't have the supplies for weaponry, so I had to learn to fight hand-to-hand. Me and my old friend Will fought each other a lot, to learn, but he was so much bigger than me that I couldn't just wrestle, like most people fight. So I figured, why not use that extra strength against them? From there it was really just a matter of learning how to manipulate people's energy, and how not to break my bones in the process. It wasn't so hard, really…"

"That, mate, is incredible." Stated Gwaine, clearly astounded by the slightly taller, yet much scrawnier, man in front of him.

"I mean, not really…" Merlin rubbed his arm behind his back, clearly a bit self-conscious. He knew he could fight, but getting praised for it was a whole other matter.

"So, Merlin, care to spar?" Merlin looked up to see Gwaine, a slight twinkle in his eye, smiling at him.

Merlin smiled back, feeling the rush of adrenalin preparing to course through him. This might be fun.

"Let's do it."

Gwaine stripped off his shirt, Merlin having already done so before his fight with Arthur, and the two stood, facing each other. The other knights soon noticed, and gathered around, followed closely by the King and Queen.

Lancelot said, loud enough to be heard by the whole group. "Are you both ready?"

The participants nodded in tandem.

"Begin!"

Merlin waited, once again, for Gwaine to make a move, but it seemed the rogue had learned from watching the previous match. Merlin began moving towards Gwaine, and Gwaine moved away, until they were circling each other. Merlin watched as Gwaine tensed suddenly, preparing to take his chance, but the warlock lunged before the other man had even moved. Merlin grabbed Gwaine's wrist tightly, knowing it was the easiest way to destabilize the man, and gain control of the situation. Gwaine, however, quickly twisted out of the grip, and jumped back, before lunging forward again just as quickly, aiming kick to Merlin's hip. Merlin elbowed the man's ankle, knocking him off balance. Taking his chance, Merlin jumped in with a side-kick to the top of the head, but Gwaine grabbed his foot and twisted it. Merlin, knowing it was the only way out, twisted with it, completing a horizontal 360. He pulled out of Gwaine's grasp the minute his foot hit the floor, and took a step back, gasping. They began circling each other again, and Merlin took the time to think over his options. Gwaine was clearly strong, but wasn't very flexible. Merlin knew he was faster than the man, but also knew that Gwaine had watched his last few fighting matches, and was therefore prepared for it. Suddenly, a thought struck him, just as Gwaine lunged. Merlin managed to dance away, but just barely, and Gwaine's fist caught him on his bad shoulder. Cursing his wandering mind, Merlin turned his attention back to his opponent, meeting the latter's quick blows only if necessary, and mainly just trying to dance away. If he could get Gwaine just a bit more tired, slower.

There! An opening, just as he had planned, but earlier than he was prepared for. Still, as Gwaine lashed out with his fist, slower than usual, Merlin grabbed the wrist with both hands, and, turning, managed to get behind the man, with his arm twisted uncomfortably behind his back. Kicking the man's knees lightly, Merlin got Gwaine on the ground. He then let go of the other man, and, without turning his back to the man, walked around until he was facing him. Gwaine, rubbing his sore arm, proceeded to stand up, and, once upright, flashed Merlin a brilliant, and rather astounded grin. Merlin then turned to the watching crowd.

"So, prat. Ready to let me teach my lesson, now?"

 **Okay. Lots of words. Whoops? (That's over 2000, by the way.) I did it, though! Liked it? Hated it? Also, give me recommendations. I can't be expected to do** _ **all**_ **the work.**


	3. Merlin: The Physician

**Thanks to** **cyenthia 30** **for the idea!**

Arthur was terrified. There was Percival, bleeding out from the claws of the sphinx they had just fought. And there were the rest of the knights, looking as pale as he must, watching Percy with fear clear in their eyes. Percival, their brother in arms, brother in all but blood, dying out in front of them. They couldn't do anything. They were helpless, meant to stand by, defeated, as their friend slipped into the next life. Arthur didn't want to watch Percival die. He didn't want to watch any one die, but Percival, one of his very own, bleeding out in front of him? The despair crept up on him as he sank to his knees next to the man, who had silent tears streaming down his face in pain. The rest of the knights did the same, prepared to stand by his side in his final moments.

But one of them, it seemed, was not just going to stand by. Arthur felt himself be pushed to the side as Merlin jostled his way through the small crowd. He called out, in a voice louder than a man of his size had any right too

"Make room, idiots, if you want Percival to survive."

He sounded commanding, and there was not a speck of fear in his voice, as though Merlin, the friend, had been taken over by Merlin, the physician. Nonetheless, Gwaine, who didn't want to give Merlin false hope, stepped forward gingerly.

"Merlin, Mate, I know you want to help. But there's nothing you can do. It's too late."

Merlin looked up at the knight from his kneeling position, eyes filled with such calculated fury that Gwaine had to take a step back.

"It's not too late until his heart isn't beating. Now, if you want him to wake the next morning, you will _move_."

Gwaine, suddenly filled with a small spark of hope, did what Merlin asked.

"Now Lancelot" Merlin said, in a much gentler voice "I need you to light a torch for me, and then bring it here. Okay?"

Lancelot, who was the closest to Percival, seemed to be in a daze, but snapped out of it at Merlin's final word.

"Alright."

Lancelot, too, sounded determined, and the hope in the knights' chests grew, just a little.

As the noble knight walked off to do just that, erlin began unpacking his small bag. First, he removed a few small cloths, one of which he laid out on the ground, while calling out "Sir Elyan, would you please go fetch me some water. Grab the bucket next to the fire."

Elyan scurried off to go fill the pail, and Merlin laid out a small needle and thread, before taking out a few bottles.

"Arthur, I need you to go get me some nettle roots, and Gwaine, some honey." When the king looked like he was about to object, Merlin snapped him a quick glare, and the king followed Gwaine into the forest.

Lancelot arrived back just then with the torch. Giving him a small nod of thanks, Merlin quickly held the needle in the flame to sterilize it. AS he did this, and threaded the needle, he talked to his patient.

"Alright, Percival, here's what's going to happen." He looked to the large knight, who nodded for him to continue. "I'm going to give you this draught." He held up a murky blue bottle. "And this one" he said, holding up a dark green one. "They will reduce the pain, and knock you out. They taste horrible, but take a moment to take effect, so I'm giving them to you now. Okay?"

Percival gave him a small nod of approval, and after downing both bottles with a grimace, he uttered a quiet "continue" to the man in front of him.

"Okay. It looks like one of your ribs has broken, and the cut on your torso will need stitches. A lot of them. So, when you're out, I'm going to patch you up, and then treat for blood loss. Sound good?"

Percival nodded.

"Alright. You should be feeling drowsy now, and will probably be out before Gwaine and Arthur make it back. So I want you to be up bright and early tomorrow to say thank you to them for helping, okay?" Here, Merlin smiled even while taking the water pail from a panting Elyan. He muttered a light "Thank you" before turning back to Percival, who was drifting off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, big guy."

Percival was out like a light, and Merlin got a wet washcloth on his forehead, and began cleaning out the wound. He washed it off completely, until the bucket and cloth were both completely red. He then sent Elyan to fetch more water, as Gwaine and Arthur returned with the required pant. Merlin got Arthur to crush the nettle roots I with a pestle, as he himself threaded the needle.

"Alright, you can go." He dismissed the knights, who went off to join Lancelot by the fire, looking shocked and hopeful. Merlin began stitching the wound.

In, out, in, out, in, out, the needle went, puncturing soft skin. Merlin was glad Percival was unconscious, and out of pain. Elyan came back as Merlin finished stitching, and he quickly washed the wound again, over the stitches. He then mixed the honey and root powder, applyi9ng them to the wound.

"Why are you doing that?" Elyan asked, hovering behind the warlock.

"Prevent infection." Merlin's answer was short, and curt, but not unkind.

Finally, he bandaged the wound, before wrapping up the ribs. Merlin sat back with a small, satisfied smile. The knights wandered back over, hope lighting their eyes.

"He'll be fine."

Finally, Merlin stood, looking weary, before smiling. Merlin, their friend, was back, and they were all ready for Percival to be there too.

But they wouldn't forget Merlin, the physician, was in there too.


	4. Escape

**Sorry for being MIA for, well, forever! I may have been caught up in existentialism, YouTube, Netflix and reading! Also, I have a request for you, my lovelies!**

 **BETA! I need a beta! If just for this story, or for all of my work, it does not matter, but I know my editing could use work, so I could really use your help! By doing this, be warned, you would also be taking on the role of "Blue's motivator" Because, as we all know, I suck at deadline's! Contact me through PM if you want to help!**

 **Thank you so much! Now, onto the fic! Thanks to** **StormChasER** **for the fic idea; I didn't follow it exactly, but it's based off your prompt.**

 **Prompt: Someone realizes that Merlin holds the highest number of successful escapes from the dungeon**

 **Summary: It was just a prank; there was no reason to put them in the dungeon. Good thing he's got Merlin with him!**

"Oh come _on_ Arthur, we were just having a little fun, isn't that right Merls!" The rogue knight said as he nudged his companion, who could do nothing but fail miserably at stifling a laugh as the newly crowned king glared at him.

"Tell that to the visiting nobles I now have to postpone due to _your_ ridiculous prank."

The whole castle seemed to be watching the interactions between the three friends, and not without good reason. The group of guards, knight, king and servant certainly made for quite the sight, what with Arthur's bright fuscia hair as he lead the group, still in his nightclothes, the two notorious pranksters in near tears from laughter as they were dragged by some guards, and those same guards looking rather frazzled, as one was wont to do when faced with such a scene. Still, the group made their way stubbornly on, ignoring the looks the servants were giving them-all but Gwaine, who was sure to give a flirtatious wink to the passing staff-and heading towards their next destination; the dungeons.

"Sire, really," Merlin managed through his choked laughter, still managing to make the honorary term seem rude "I think you should calm down. I mean, you look positively _red_ with anger."

The two jokers dissolved into hysterical laughter once again, as the King did, in fact, seem to turn a bright, furious shade of red, the pallor of his skin matching his hair almost perfectly.

"You won't be laughing so hard after a day in the dungeons" the king said smugly, his pallor dulling to its normal tone as a smirk replaced his pout.

"Come on Arthur! We just wanted to make sure you matched the drapes!" Gwaine mocked

Arthur nearly had steam coming out of his ears, as his two friends dissolved into bouts of laughter once again.

The party finally made it down to the dungeons, and the rogue and the warlock were thrown into the cell with no hesitation. As the door clanged shut, however, the condemned were sure not to let the king leave without a parting remark.

"Tell the ladies my fabulous hair and I will be back tomorrow, and do try to console them when they start crying, that's a good chap" Gwaine said which pulled a small snigger from the guards and a smile from Pendragon as he turned swiftly on his heel and began leaving.

"Have fun with George, pratface!" Merlin cried out after the King, smiling when the king tried and failed to hide a small wince. Then, turning to his companion "That should serve him right; what was he thinking, sentencing us to a full day in the dungeons!" With that, Merlin collapsed to the floor with a dramatic sigh, soon followed by Gwaine.

"Exactly! My hair requires hourly upkeep, you know! A day in here and it will be ruined! And without even an apple to console me!" Gwaine wiped a fake tear from his eye, sighing deeply. "But it was worth it, if purely for the look on his face! Oh, I don't envy Gwen having to deal with him today!"

The men shared another round of laughter, until their giggles tapered off into a companionable silence. This lasted all of five minutes until Gwaine shattered it with a moan.

"Merlin, I don't think I can last even one more minute in this dungeon without going mad."

When all his antics got him was a raised eyebrow from his friend, the newly knighted noble was quick to explain himself.

"There are no women in here! Certainly no booze!" and here the rogue's voice went gloomily quiet "there's _not even an apple_." His voice rose once again. "And so we must escape!"

"And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?" Merlin asked, his eyebrow still raised, a trait clearly inherited from his mentor.

"Well, I may have been possibly thinking _you_ would do that part?" Gwaine said, with all the innocence of a hunting dog that's just urinated in the house.

With a long-suffering sigh, the young warlock stood up. "Fine, fine, but only because I don't know if I can last much longer in here with you." With that, Merlin went to the door, and, producing a long, thin piece of bent metal not unlike the things women used to hold up their hair, went to work on the door. Soon enough, there was an audible click, and Gwaine jumped up as the door slid open silently.

"Wha-how-huhh?" The knight stuttered out, watching as his companion slipped stealthily out of his cell. Merlin turned back on stunned friend, and Gwaine shook off his shock as the servant gestured for him to follow. Still, as he made his way through the castle halls behind the magic-user (not that he knew that); the rogue knight made a mental note;

Next time Morgana caught them: stick with Merlin.


	5. Black Beauty (Chapter 5)

**Hey guys! So, yes, after that giant break, I am actually doing to fics that are kind of actually close to each other! Good for me! However, this might not last. This is why I need, not only a BETA, but someone who will get on me to update! Just PM me if you are interested! Thanks a lot guys! Now, onto the fic!**

 **Prompt: Merlin is a better horseman than Arthur. {Prompted by Guest}**

 **Summary: Contrary to popular belief (*hem hem* Arthur *hem hem*), horses do not, in fact, hate Merlin. But some people just won't believe him (*hem hem* still Arthur *hem hem*)**

Arthur is in a bad mood. He has had a week of dealing with the most uppity and annoying nobles he has ever had the bad fortune of meeting, who seem to believe that because they are older than him that they have no real loyalty to him. He was woken this morning by his cheerfully annoying manservant, who doesn't seem to understand that no, he didn't get enough sleep last night, because some of us have actual work to do, _Mer_ -lin. And then the food wasn't cooked right because the head cook is out with the flu, and his favourite shirt had a hole in it so he had to wear something else to send off the nobles he previously mentioned, who couldn't leave without a parting remark. Then he had to go train the new knights who are the sorriest lot of men, if they can even be considered that, he has trained. So no, Arthur is not in the best mood.

So when he is walking through town, trying to relax after a week from hell, and a great black beast of a horse nearly tramples him as it gallops off to god-knows-where, it is safe to say that Arthur doesn't react in the best of ways. He is just standing up as a group of stable-hands go rushing past him, presumably to catch that drasted horse, and Arthur reaches out and hand and catches one of the unfortunate boys by the collar.

"What" he growls "Is the meaning of this?"

The boy writhes in his grasp until he lets go, and then drops into a boy, stammering out a "Sire, sorry sire, you see, the new mare-and the stable-master said-and she opened the gate- and she was running- a –and we were just trying to get her back, sire." At this, the boy looks up, and really, did he have to have those doe-eyes?

Arthur huff out a frustrated sigh, and with a shove, sends the boy off. "Well then, go get her back."

Then Arthur makes his way determinedly over to the stables, where he is prepared to face the next obstacle of the week.

As he approaches the stables, he sees a figure, whom he assumes to be the stable master, shouting at a group of boys, before sending them scurrying off, probably another group after the horse. Arthur fights to keep a frown off his face as the boys bow to him as they rush past him.

When he reaches the stable master, the man is reaming out yet another young stable hand, who has, from what he understands, spilt some hay into the dung pile. Arthur cuts off the man mid-rant, and watches with satisfaction as the man turns to him and immediately drops into a bow, the stable hand following soon after.

"Master Felstead" Arthur acknowledges the man with a nod. "What is the meaning of the steed which very nearly ran me over not 5 minutes ago? I am to assume that you are unable to maintain order in your own stables." Arthur knows he is being unnecessarily rude, but he has really had quite the week, and being King must count for something, right?

At Arthur's comment, Felstead pales considerably, and only continues to pale as Arthur continues his vindictive remarks. Immediately after the King is done speaking, the man begins, stammering apologies in a way reminiscent of the young stable hand Arthur had just met.

"I'm really very sorry, sire, truly terribly sorry, I apologize completely, it's just that this new mare has been… unruly" the stable master says.

"And you can't do your job and get her under control?"

The man, if possible, pales even further, but manages to continue speaking. "No, no not at all sire, but not one of us can get her under control, you see, and I was planning on putting her down, but then she kicked down the hand attending to her and got loose, and I am terribly sorry, but we truly cannot get her under cont-" the stable master stops speaking abruptly, looking with shock over the King's shoulder. Arthur turns around, intrigued, only to see a sight that, before that moment, he would never have believed possible.

There, walking slowly towards him is the same beast that had nearly run over him that morning. Without the fear and shock from earlier, however, he can truly appreciate the size and beauty of this animal, and he admits to himself that even he would have a hard time wrangling a mare like that under control. Which just makes his next realization even more shocking; sitting atop this hulking black beauty is none other than Merlin, looking for all the world as though he is sitting atop a pony used in fairs for the amusement of the children rather than a horse that would tower near six hands above Arthur, who could certainly not be considered small.

It was only after Arthur had shaken off his shock, and pulled his jaw off the floor, that he noticed the group of stable boys trailing behind them, looking as flabbergasted as he felt. They were following behind the beast by a good distance, and, looking at the ruffled clothing and dirt on the boys, clearly attained from some hard falls, he assumed that distance was well earned.

Arthur then watched as Merlin lead the mare in a trot towards them, pulling the horse up short with only a slight tightening of his legs. Merlin then slid off the side of the horse with and amount of care Arthur was not familiar with having for an animal as terrifying as that one. It was only when Merlin was standing on the ground, caressing the black horse's mane as he looked at the king that Arthur realized the mare was wearing no saddle, nor any riding gear at all. He stared in shock as he realized the balance it must have taken to get up on that horse, and keep it steady.

"I believe this gentle giant belongs to you, Master Felstead?" Merlin said, breaking the blonde out of his reverie.

The stable master shook his head, perhaps more astonished than Arthur was. "Yes" he said, "But-but how…?"

"Oh, she's such a sweetheart" Merlin responded, looking back at the horse "That it really wasn't any trouble at all."

Then, with a boy lacking his usual cheek, the manservant walked off, whistling all the way.

And if no one but Merlin got within 10 feet of her, not even the king, well then, that's really no one's business, is it?

 **So I decided on the name Ffoais, which is a welsh term for flee/run away (I think), but if you're welsh and that is a stupid name, then you know what, why don't you go rant about it in the comments?**

 **I'm still taking prompts, btw, even if I haven't answered all of them yet. But yeah.**

 **-Blue**


End file.
